This application i s based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 11-115019, filed Apr. 22, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a camera adapted to detect its shaking state and commence an exposure at the time when the camera shake level has reduced.
In recent years, a wide variety of cameras have been developed that are adapted to detect their shaking state and commence an exposure at the time when the camera shake level has reduced.
For example, in Jpn. Pat. KOKAI Publication No. 10-48681 is disclosed a technique to commence an exposure operation at the point of time within a given interval when both the camera shake levels in two directions perpendicular to the optical axis of the camera cross the zero level.
Also, in Jpn. Pat. KOKAI Publication No. 5-20419 is disclosed a camera with shake correction function which waits for a correction operation for camera shake due to lens driving and an exposure operation until the camera shake becomes able to be corrected for and makes a notification to that effect.
Additionally, in Jpn. Pat. KOKAI Publication No. 9-230472 is disclosed a camera which notifies the user of exposure immediately before the start of exposure.
Moreover, a camera technique is known which notifies the user of a shaking state during exposure, the notification time depending on the exposure time.
However, with the camera disclosed in Jpn. Pat. KOKAI Publication No. 10-48681, exposure is never commenced unless the shake level becomes zero. Therefore, the user cannot know that the reason why exposure is not commenced is a camera failure or shake control.
With the camera disclosed in Jpn. Pat. KOKAI Publication No. 5-204019, the user cannot know that the reason why an exposure operation is not performed is lens driving or a great camera shake. This will cause the user to feel long to exposure and feel uneasiness.
With the camera disclosed in Jpn. Pat. KOKAI Publication No. 9-230472, the user is notified of exposure immediately before the commencement of exposure. However, the user cannot do anything even if he or she is notified immediately before commencement of exposure.
With the camera adapted to notify the user of its exposure state, when the time taken by lens driving is long or the shake reduction function of commencing exposure when the shake level is reduced is used, the notification (exposure) may not be performed for a long time even if the shutter release has been clicked. The user may mistake this for a camera failure.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a camera which permits each of operating states of the camera in a sequence of operations from an operation of giving an instruction to commence an exposure operation to the termination of the exposure operation to be indicated in a stepwise manner.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising: exposure operation commencement instruction means for giving an instruction to commence an exposure operation; lens drive means responsive to the instruction from the exposure operation commencement instruction means for driving a focusing lens; exposure operation commencement decision means for deciding whether the exposure operation should be commenced, on the basis of the shake state which the camera body takes after the exposure operation commencement instruction means gives an instruction to commence the exposure operation; exposure means for performing the exposure operation according to the result of the decision by the exposure operation commencement decision means; camera control means for exercising overall control of the camera; and state notification means for, under the control of the camera control means, indicating operating states of at least two of the lens drive means, the exposure operation commencement decision means and the exposure means in a discernible form.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising: exposure operation commencement instruction means for giving an instruction to commence an exposure operation; lens drive means responsive to the instruction from the exposure operation commencement instruction means for driving a focusing lens; exposure operation commencement decision means for deciding whether the exposure operation should be commenced, on the basis of the shake state which the camera body takes after the exposure operation commencement instruction means gives an instruction to commence the exposure operation; exposure means for performing the exposure operation according to the result of the decision by the exposure operation commencement decision means; camera control means for exercising overall control of the camera; and state notification means for, under the control of the camera control means, indicating operating states of the lens drive means, the exposure operation commencement decision means and the exposure means in a discernible form.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising: exposure operation commencement instruction means for giving an instruction to commence an exposure operation; lens drive means responsive to the instruction from the exposure operation commencement instruction means for driving a focusing lens; exposure operation commencement decision means for deciding whether the exposure operation should be commenced, on the basis of the shake state which the camera body takes after the exposure operation commencement instruction means gives an instruction to commence the exposure operation; exposure means for performing the exposure operation according to the result of the decision by the exposure operation commencement decision means; camera control means for exercising overall control of the camera; and state notification means for, under the control of the camera control means, indicating that the exposure operation commencement decision means is in operation in a discernible form.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising: operating state distinction means for making a distinction between at least two predetermined operating states of the camera in a sequence of operations from an operation of giving an instruction to commence an exposure operation to the termination of the exposure operation; and state notification means for performing stepwise indication of the two predetermined operating states.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising: lens drive device for driving a focusing lens; exposure device for performing an exposure operation; exposure operation commencement decision means for deciding the timing of commencing the exposure operation after the focusing lens has been driven by the lens drive device; and state notification means for indicating operating states of the lens drive device and the exposure device in a discernible form during the operation of the exposure operation commencement decision means.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.